The Ultimate Care Guide For Panther Chameleons
- Chameleons Reptiles
Jade Messieh- 0
- 5 minutes read
What Do I Need To Take Care Of A Panther Chameleon?
Panther chameleons are beautiful but delicate pets. They require special housing, consistent humidity levels, and they can have a lot of health issues.
Enclosures
Panther chameleons need to be in tall mesh cages for proper ventilation. Chameleons are tree dwellers and they naturally love finding places to climb. Their cage needs to be around 4ft tall to provide enough climbing space.
Provide a lot of bamboo branches, vines, and other artificial plants to give your chameleon places to climb. The branches need to give your chameleon access near their heat lamp and a place to hide farther down the cage when they want to cool down.
It is best to not use too many branches and plants because an overly cluttered cage can stress them out. If you do use real plants, make sure that they are not toxic. Artificial plants are going to be less maintenance and are very safe to use.
The bottom of the enclosure is going to catch all of the droppings. Paper towels are easiest to use at the bottom because they are easy to change out.
Temperature/Humidity
Panther chameleons need their cages to be a consistent temperature of 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit. The perch closest to the light needs to be around 95 degrees. The cool spot cannot be colder than 80 degrees. A temperature drop that is too drastic can cause your panther chameleon to be sick.
Proper heating can be achieved using a UVA/UVB bulb and a ceramic heat bulb. The UV light that you want to use is a 5.0. The UV light needs to be changed every 6 months as well because it loses its potency. Lighting should be on for 12 hours.
Chameleons thrive under high humidity as well. The best levels are going to be around 65%-85%. In order to achieve this level of humidity, their cages need to be misted regularly.
You can use a misting system on a timer so that your chameleon can get adequate humidity if you aren’t home. They also drink their water from the plants too. Set up a slow water drip that will land on the plants for your chameleon to drink off of.
Food
Panther chameleons eat store bought insects. The insects that they love to eat are crickets, flies, silkworms, and roaches. Any insects that you feed your chameleon should be gut loaded. This means that they need to be dusted with reptile calcium powder and have a diet of veggies. Dust the insects twice a week.
Fully grown chameleons can eat around 40-50 crickets a week. If you want to feed your chameleon the larger insects, you can cut back on the amount of crickets. They just need to eat every other day.
Avoid leaving too many live insects in the cage because they could hurt your chameleon while it is sleeping.
Wrapping Up
If you have a busy life, owning a chameleon might not be the best fit for you. Chameleons need constant attention and regular feedings. Their humidity and temperature needs to be consistent as well or they can become ill. Setting up their enclosures can be fun and they make a beautiful pet.
